Government to review principles of founding document, raising fears over rollback of Māori rights
The Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti o Waitangi – considered New Zealand’s founding document – was signed in 1840 by the British Crown and about 540 Māori chiefs to establish a nation state. While not a legal document, some treaty principles have been developed and included in legislation. The treaty covers issues including land and cultural rights and Māori relations with the Crown. Interpretation of the treaty is often contested and New Zealand’s coalition government plans to review the treaty’s principles, raising fears over a roll-back of Māori rights.
There is an English and a Māori version of the treaty. These documents have fundamental differences, for example in the English version, Māori cede sovereignty to the Crown; in the Māori text they give governance to the Crown. The vast majority of Māori chiefs signed only the Māori version.
